On the Rwandan visual art scene, many young talents are unveiled often. 22-year-old Patrick Gusenga, also known by his brand name ‘Gusengaart’ on social media, is one of them. He is a local visual artist that does both painting and digital art. From an early age, he was already drawing movie characters on his book covers and school uniform while in primary school. Realising his passion and talent, his parents didn’t hesitate to enrol him in Nyundo School of Art and Music in 2014, to boost his skill. It was there that he felt connected to art—having quiet moments to paint or draw—and soon realised that he could earn a living from his talent, hence, starting his professional journey in 2016. “For me, the art journey is like being part of creation. It involves creating anything my mind thinks of, for instance, people, emotions, feelings, nature and so forth,” he says. Gusenga adds that he loves painting as it fosters creative growth, strengthens memory, builds problem-solving and motor skills, is a way to relieve stress, nurtures emotional growth, and enhances communication. He also highlights that painting is therapy, and its colour and contrast can have a huge effect on people emotionally, psychologically and even physically. However, one of his challenges is that some of the art materials are expensive, but also finding a platform and space to display his artwork is still a problem. Regardless of the challenges, he has managed to buy some high quality equipment for his digital art and also established a station where clients can find him. Some of the materials he uses for painting are canvas and frame, acrylic paint and oil paint and a drawing screen tablet for his digital art. Gusenga is currently in the third year at Digital Media Production Faculty at IPRC Kigali.
